One Mistake
by awriterneedsnoname
Summary: It was a drunken mistake that led their relationship into turmoil. There was bound to be trouble between the sheets. All he knew was that he loved her, and she broke his heart. A/N My apologies for keeping it as completed, I forgot to change it after I decided to continue from the one-shot!
1. Chapter 1

"Uhhn! Ughn! Mmm. Harder! HARDER!" the woman beneath him screamed, as he obliged her commands.

He thrusted in and out, rough and fast.. And finally he felt it. His balls tightened and threatened to explode, but he knew better than to burst before his lover did. The woman pierced his back with her nails, in a fit of pleasure. Her warm insides clenched together and squeezed his throbbing erection. He knew he had to pull out, but it felt all too good.

"Ughn. Uhh. I have to pull out, babe. I have to pull out!"

"Don't Naruto.. I'm on the pill.. It'll be fine." She panted.

"If you say- UGHNN!" They both erupted in pleasure.

Naruto's face changed from pleasure to sudden angst. He, physically had released all sexual tension, but the emotional turmoil within him would never be released. The purple haired woman knew then that he had to leave again. She could blame no one but herself, because it was her that had made one fateful mistake so long ago.

Naruto pulled out of Anko and fell to the other side of the bed. Knowing he could not stay, he sprang up and began to search for his clothes, which had been strewn all over the apartment complex when he'd begun his sexual escapade with his comrade. He collected his clothes and placed it on the bed, noticing he was missing his boxers. He looked over to the other side of the bed and saw Anko searching and dressing as well.

"I heard you found a girlfriend." Anko said nonchalantly.

"I did. She's a nice, independent, strong kunoichi. Not Sakura, but I _lik_e her." Naruto replied, almost saying 'Not _you._'

"Why did you come then? You could've refuse from the very start. From the moment I offered to buy you celebratory drinks." Anko said, grinding her teeth. She had been expecting him to say Sakura, so she could use the excuse of a spar to beat the shit out of the pink-haired girl.

"You would've dragged me along anyway, don't deny it. But it's not that it matters. It was a one-night stand. Happens all the time." Naruto retaliated.

"You _cheated_, though."

"You're one to talk, right Anko?"

Anko opened her mouth to speak, but Naruto stopped her. "Nah, forget it. This is just casual sex. I came to you in need of relieving tension. I satisfied you, you satisfied me. That's sex."

"She's not good, huh?"

"To be honest, I haven't even fucked her yet. She's too innocent and sweet. Taking it slow is a drag, as Shika would say. So there. I fucked you, you fucked me. We had sex, no strings."

"Are you going to break up with her?"

"No. I mean I just screwed you. I did _cheat_, and now I'll own up to it. I'm getting married to her in a week."

"Can you stop being so lewd and full of grudges! You were never like this before!" Anko said, completely disregarding what he'd said after.

"Things have changed, and I hold no grudge against you. Only emptiness. And anyway, I need to go now. Give me back my boxers."

"You're getting married soon, huh?" Anko said as something inside her finally clicked.

"Yeah. You'll attend, won't you? Who would miss the wedding of the Rokudaime? Especially one that will tie two nations together?" He replied, his voice icy and even, mimicking almost.

Anko tossed him his boxers and turned away. She heard him shuffle around for a bit, before she heard the front door of her luxurious apartment complex close. She let the tears fall, as she remembered that day. The day she made the mistake she'd come to regret so much.

-  
><em>The ninja walked through the doors of the bar, incredibly upset. Shizune and he had gotten into a massive fight, and she had left their apartment very angry. He had followed after, to no avail. He ended up going to where he was now, a bar three districts from his own house. He went in and ordered immediately four bottles of sake, downing the first. He was a bit of a lightweight, and didn't often drink. Today was a different story.<em>

_She had just gotten into a stupid little arguement with Naruto, something that was hard for them to avoid these days. He had told her he needed to go out, and seek comfort in someone that would actually care for him. Those words had cut her like a knife. She knew who that meant, Sakura. She headed to a bar as far away from home as possible, and to her surprise, saw Iruka, killing bottle after bottle of sake._

_"Upset your boyfriend?" Anko said jokingly._

_"Oh c'mon, Anko. Not now.." Iruka said, exasperated._

_"Let's talk it out."_

_Twenty bottles of sake later, the two had found themselves undressing, feeling, and grinding on each other._

_Three hours later, both woke up with a hell of a headache. The doorbell rang from the front, and Anko cringed._

_"Naruto, get the door."_

_Then it hit her. Beside her, was not Naruto._

_Naruto rang his girlfriend's doorbell several times. Not receiving a response, Naruto used Hirashin to get inside instead. It was always good to have that skill. He had planted the kunai in her house a while ago. He went towards the bedroom door, only to be met with a locked door._

_"Ugh fuck. She's a heavy sleeper." Naruto thought to himself._

"_Naruto? Is that you?" Anko called out._

"_Yeah. Babe, I came to say I'm sorry. We're always going at it, getting into pointless arguments. I called in to tell Sakura that I was gonna take a week off from my Hokage duties and take you somewhere far away. Mission: Bring Back the Love!" _

_Anko could not help but smirk. "Hold on, I'm not dressed." Anko said, as she looked over to Iruka and thought of a way to get him out of here without Naruto noticing. A sudden burst of chakra for a shunshin would notify Naruto of someone else being in her room._

"_Oh come on! It's nothing I haven't seen yet.." Naruto said. "I'm coming in." _

_Without waiting for another word, Naruto burst into the room._

_She was caught. She was caught in a mistake. _

_Naruto was so heartbroken that he could not react. How did it end up becoming his favourite, beloved sensei that betrayed him? Naruto left that day, a single lone tear falling from his face. Later that day, he had met with Iruka, and they were on less hostile terms, after listening to the explanation Iruka had for him. For some reason, Naruto could hold no grudge against his sensei. After all, it was a drunken mistake. So why, why oh why, could he not forgive his girlfriend? The reason, he did not know. So he left it at that.__  
>-<em>

Naruto wandered aimlessly around the village, avoiding miles of paperwork he had back at the Hokage's office. He recounted back to the conversation he had had with his fiancée. She listened to him speak of his infidelity, and accepted it nonetheless. The wedding would go as planned. Little did Naruto know, the girl whom he was supposed to wed knew his heart better than he did. She knew he was still in love with the other woman, and she hoped that he would come to realize it before the wedding day. She would see how it played out.

Anko was at her favourite dango shop, contemplating what was left of her relationship with Naruto.

_What relationship? It was only a one- nightstand._

She continued munching on the dango stick, absently thinking of all the happy times she'd had with her darling blonde. She paid for her meal and left the shop accordingly. She strolled on and on, until her head hit something firm. She looked up and saw a flurry of blonde.

"Gomen." He said.

"It was my fault, too," She replied.

He smiled at her, oh so slightly, and walked away.

She called out to him, before he could round the corner. "I'm sorry I won't make it to your wedding. I have a pre-scheduled mission."

"Wouldn't I know if you had a mission?" Naruto asked.

"It was predetermined. I'll be gone for a little over a week."

'When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow night." She said, hoping he'd stop her. She knew all too well, though.

"It's a damn shame, isn't it? Well, good-bye, Anko." It was then they both knew, his good-bye would serve two purposes.

Their love was over. It was never meant to be.

**A/N WHOOO. A completed one shot written during a forty-minute break. Feeling good. Just for a little fun, a bit also because of a very nagging best friend. :] Happy Fan-Fic hunting!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Back by popular (LOL more like a couple of alerts, favourites and even less reviews. D;) demand. **

**Yeah, I know it's awkward to end things so fast, but I've been paper writing and then transferring to laptop lately, so it's a bit of a process because I've been traveling abroad with a few friends. Hope for a final chapter after this. :)**

Days and days of somber awkwardness passed between the Hokage and his subordinate, until finally, it was time for Anko to be off. The Rokudaime had gotten into a fight with his fiancée's father-in-law about his infidelity. At least it was good to see Anko not get involved, he had thought to himself. She had it bad as it was. He could not bare the rumours and such to irk her emotionally and disrupt the mission, or so he believed. Naruto sent the woman he loved away, he could not bare her presence during his sham of a wedding anyhow.

Naruto pondered upon what would happen if he had never gotten so upset, and had forgiven her, for several days, up until it was two days before the wedding. Anticipation and fright was present throughout the young man's body. He was utterly a mess. He had come to realize it was not because he valued the outcome of the mission so very highly, it was because he valued her so highly. He loved her, dear God he loved the woman. She was peeking around every corner of his mind, spewing out of his every damned thought. He could barely hold the woman he was supposed to marry without wanting to rip his arms off of their sockets. What he did not know was that the woman already knew. She had planned from the start for her father to find out, hoping he'd freeze the marriage. Her father did no such thing. Marrying the Rokudaime was too much of an honor to him.

Naruto sighed and looked to the sky. He was on top of the Hokage monument, a special place to him and his dearests. There was Jiraiya, Tsunade, Team 7, and then finally Anko. He could not scream, he was all too "high and mighty" for the overkill showing of emotions. It was burning him up on the inside, the way he -wasn't- marrying the person he loved the most. Perhaps he would've been better of marrying Sasuke. The woman he was marrying was not the problem. No, not at all. She was a rather nice girl, and she understood. She was actually the one reason he was still sane. He vented everything to her, because Sakura would only punch him and tell him to do as his heart said. At one point, he would've. After becoming Rokudaime, he could not. His heart hurt, and still does. Oh, how it all hurts him deeply. He is the lone man who clutches his heart and smiles warmly at his fiancée, not bothering to do any more than that.

It was a simple conversation with his soon to be wife that caused him great controversy within the confines of his already broken down mind.

_"Uzumaki-san." She called out._

_"We're getting married, are we not? Formalities are things I never like, you know. Call me Naruto."_

_"Naruto-san. I w-"_

_Naruto raised an eyebrow, and he pouted slightly._

_"Naruto. I was meaning to talk to you, before the big day. I wanted to tell you a story. A story of how all of this, this sham, came to be."_

_"Sham?" Naruto questioned with mirth, knowing full well what she meant._

_"Oh please, just listen." She looked at him, and then continued. "Before my father arranged our meeting and love affairs, I loved to pretend to be a normal civilian. I had my little village homestead, and a nice little district of which I could call my neighborhood. It was wonderful, really. Honest to all things above, I absolutely loved the simple life I held. I always played with the little children, and made friends on my own accord. They were never the spoiled ones that would love to berate others and look down upon those poorer than they."_

_Naruto opened his mouth to object the recounting of her past, only to be hushed by her._

_"Let me finish. As I was saying; I had a nice, simple life. My father objected harshly, he stopped at nothing to deprive me of the only joy I had in life. It wasn't so serious until he sought to destroy the base of all my joys and worry free days. You see, I fell in love, with a boy from another village. Iwagakure, it was. My father despised him from first meeting. His name was Kazuhiro. I loved him so dearly. He was poor, but he had the pure white soul of an angel. He was a simple peddler, one that I came upon one day. He had offered to sell me the most beautiful, mesmerising amethyst encrusted shell comb I'd ever seen. He told me it matched my eyes, and from then on, he wooed me to the ends of the Earth, or so he put it. We fell in love, and Father found out. He wrecked us, and soon after, arrangements were made for us.. Although he wants me to see him one last time before I marry you.." She finished, tears already cascading from her eyes._

_"It seems to me you've got quite the love tryst there." _

_She looked at him with sullen eyes and then knit her eyebrows tightly together._

_"Alright, alright. I understand. And now where is he? Or rather, where does he wish to meet you?"_

_"That's where I need your help, Naruto-sama. I need you to pretend where going on a little getaway before our lovely façade takes place. I really do wish to see him, if only for a final good-bye." She said sadly, tears threatening to pool over her cerulean eyes. _

_"I'll do it.. Where will the rendezvous take place?"_

_"It's in Suna." She replied._

_Naruto stared blankly at the woman in front of him in shock. Anko. Her name was all Naruto could think of. _

_And so Naruto sat at the top of the monument, his mind racing through possible choices. Go through with it to help someone he cared about, or tear apart another._

His old flame, ignited once more, or his fiancée. He had a simple choice. Why couldn't he make up his mind?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Anybody missed this story? Well do not fret, for Eric is back, not only with a new chapter, but also with prospect of continuing this story! Let me know what you think, guys!**

**Onwards!**

_Without you in my life, I'd simply fade away into the darkness. It's already begun to show. My brain is tearing my heart apart…under my control. My heart lies above the monster in me. It retains me, holds back the errors that I've made, the guilt that shields me from coming back to you._

Naruto's restless sleep consisted of drifting in and out of conscious; unable to tell what was reality, and what was not. There were agonizing thoughts shredding his brain, threatening to envelope his being and hurl him into a pit of inescapable darkness. The blond haired man jolted from his bed and wiped beads of sweat from his brow. Naruto's breathing was erratic, and his body was entirely too hot for his liking. He shed his shirt and went back to sleep, a darkness engulfing his brain.

x-x-x-x

Upon awakening, Naruto had made one simple conclusion, and rushed to tell his fiancée, who awaited his answer.

"I've decided that under the cover of a vacation in preparation of our "marriage," I'll be taking you to Suna, for various reasons." Naruto said calmly, a glint of determination behind his tired eyes.

"Thank you, Naruto-sama. I can never repay your kindness." She said, bowing with utmost gratitude.

"There is a possible thing you can do for me. That is, if all things go according to plan." Naruto replied, a wide fox-like grin materializing on his face.

Despite the slight guilt that Naruto felt towards his duty as Hokage, he knew that this was the sense of peace he needed. Things could return to normal after this. His friends would no longer constantly worry about him, and he could tackle the position as the Rokudaime with the vigour from his younger years. Did he want to help Kazuhiro and his love reunite for eternity rather than just one night, he wanted to make amends with the girl he abandoned.

x-x-x-x

"Naruto-san! Er…Hokage-sama. What brings you to my shop today?" said Yamaguchi, the owner of a well-known weapon shop.

"Oi, Yamaguchi-san, Naruto is fine! How many times do I have to remind ya'?" Naruto smiled warmly, a gesture that greatly surprised the shopkeeper.

_Well I'll be damned. Our Hokage's finally back._

"Naruto-sama. Please, come into the shop! Shall I get you some tea?"

"No, no! I wouldn't want to be a bother. I came here looking for _that _item."

"Ahh. I see, Hokage-sama. They'll be delivered to your home when they're completed. Is there a problem?" Yamaguchi said.

"Uhh, that's sort of the problem. You see, I'm leaving for Suna tonight with my… fiancée, and I just needed the back up supply of weapons, including _that _weapon. Standard procedure is all." Naruto mumbled, stuttering slightly.

"Why of course, Naruto-sama. I'll have them ready for you within the hour. Will you wait, or will you come back?" Yamaguchi asked, a drop of sweat falling from his forehead.

"Really, if it's a big rush, it's fine, honest." The tall, blond man stammered/ Kami knows why he was so nervous. Maybe it was because he felt as if his plan would fail, and all would be lost.

"It's not a big hassle at all, Hokage-sama." The poor man said, unable to refuse the Rokudaime.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Naruto. Please, I insist."

"Of course, Naruto-sama."

Naruto did not drop the eyebrow, but walked away nonetheless.

Yamaguchi sweat dropped. _Now I have to really go and double my workload if I want it done by the end of this hour._

x-x-x-x

Nighttime had arrived in the land of the fire, marking the time for Naruto's leave.

"Haha, this'll be great. Everything's gonna be okay." Naruto shouted into the night sky.

"Ano, Naruto-sama, I've never seen you like this." His pseudo-fiancée said.

Naruto looked at her, eyebrows raised once more. "I'm happy, that's all. Instead of just being the Rokudaime, I'm going to be Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime."

"Ano, that's superb, Naruto-san."

"Well, we should be off, we wouldn't want to be late, eh?" Naruto smirking at her, winking with his sagely eyes.

The kunoichi nodded and grabbed a hold of Naruto's arm. Naruto took one of his tokuchu kunai out. He tossed it as far as he could and performed hiraishin. At this rate, they would arrive in no time. Naruto traveled for a straight two days and a half, only stopping for the bare necessities, like eating and relieving bladders. Finally, the sandy dunes of Suna were all that surrounded Naruto and his company. The young Rokudaime was tired, and therefore resigned early. When he awoke, there was but a note beside the table.

_Naruto-san,_

_My apologies, but I have left, gone away with my dearest Kazuhiro. I cannot stand to be trapped in a loveless marriage forced by the man that started this all, my Father. My regards to you and your love, and I apologise for being unable to help you with whatever it is. Like I have said, I can never repay you for your kindness towards me the past few months._

_Haruhi_

Little did Haruhi know, she'd already helped him with the biggest part; getting rid of the engagement somehow. Now all he needed to do was find Anko and win her back.

There would be challenges ahead, he knew. If he succeeded in getting Anko back, or even if he didn't, there would still be confusion when he returned to the village.

**A/N Yawns. It's 2:40 A.M. and I'm tired as fuuuck. I would've included the scene of Haruhi leaving, as well as Kazuhiro mistaking Naruto for the bad guy and attempting to knock him down, but it's late, and the creative juices have run dry, so, I bid you good reading. Leave your feedback! Do you want another chapter?**


	4. AUTHOR'S NOTE

A/N

To the ass that said " I suck." That's okay. I know I do, it was fucking around 3 A.M. Nevertheless, I usually don't do this whole "using a chapter as an author's note" thing, but this is an exception. I will by no means abandon this fic and will gladly expand it until my readers are sick of it. Even you, Mr. YOU SUCK. I'm doing this simply because I'd like to make this clear to anyone that opposes the theory of this story being a piece of shit, I will continue, until you see fit. I'm doing this for your satisfaction, and mine.

I'm also going to try and add more of plot to the story, if indeed anyone wants it to be a larger, fleshed piece of work. I'll be updating ASAP, so count a chapter sometime this week or into the weekend. I have no set schedule for this story, ideas just come as they come, unless I sit my ass down and try to come up with something.

Excuse my rant, I was a little aggravated. Thank you for the continuous support of** Snowkid **and **El Frijolero, **as well as anyone else who reviewed and all of the little readers that I have.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N To the reviewer rescue007, I understand how you might feel that me clearing shit up is me crying because someone said I suck. For your information, that "Chapter 3" was in fact an update I made that same day at 3 in the morning. I was simply trying to clear up everything. **

**Decidedly, I don't really care.**

**Also, as if you noticed, all of the chapters are only around 1k words. That's my goal, and unless I'm really feeling what I'm writing, that's how it'll stay.**

**For the sake of this story, let's pretend Mifune has a daughter, and isn't too neutral when it comes to shinobi wars/affairs. Also, this chapter is rushed, because I'm on a trip and I promised a chapter, so I spat this out.**

**Onwards!**

The shaggy, brown haired male woke up in a daze and looked around groggily, only to find his hands were tied behind his back and he was in a dusky, dimly lit storage room. As he attempted to break free, three figures entered the room. They were all clad in heavy plate- armoured yoroi hitatare. Each man had a tanto or a katana readily by their side. They had on face masks and helmets. The man looked up in awe, realising they were samurais of Tetsu no Kuni.

"Fool. Did you truly think you could escape with our general's daughter?" The first man snickered.

The two other men just sneered at him, not bothering to speak at all. Just as the first man was about to strike, a fourth figure walked in. He was dressed similarly to them, besides the small horns on his helmet. The male recognised him as a samurai of higher rank.

"I should be able to dispose of you immediately. Sadly, our taisho, the great Mifune wishes to see you." The man grunted. "Follow or die. Your choice."

The man was shoved off into the direction the four men had entered, and was pulled outside into what looked like a teashop. The teashop was plain with little decorations, and seemed empty, except two figures sitting furthest towards the front of the shop.

"Kazu-kun!" Haruhi cried.

"Haruhi?" Kazuhiro said, confusion laced in his face. "What happened here? What happened to me?"

"My father had men follow Hokage-sama and I when we went to Sunagakure. He was expecting you would wish to meet me. My father is a humble man. Speak reasonably, and do not undermine his calmness. My father is a strong warrior, and will only be approached with one that carries his conduct." Haruhi whispered as she struggled to cut at the ropes that bound him together.

"I understand. Am I to speak to you father?" Kazuhiro asked quietly.

"Yes." She responded.

Kazuhiro walked over to the other figure, a man dressed in a purple yoroi hitataire, bandages wrapped around his head.

"Mifune-taisho. I am Yamazaki Kazuhiro, wooer of your daughter."

"Let me ask you something, Yamazaki." Mifune said steadily, tranquility clear in his gestures and voice.

The other man only gulped and nodded.

"What do you honestly think of this world?" The older man asked.

Regaining his composure, Kazuhiro replied, "It's unfair and cruel, especially those who lack the powers that the shinobi and the samurai have. Although that is the truth, I also believe that harmony would be ideal between all."

"That was a relatively acceptable answer. Do you understand that the marriage of Haruhi and the Hokage would bring harmony throughout the nations? The Fourth Shinobi war has passed. But if another war of any sort were to occur, all would be lost, would it not? "

Kazuhiro stuttered. "I-I hadn't thought that far, taisho. I simply followed my heart's will."

"Your heart you say. You put your heart above what was my act towards harmony? Are you against harmony, or for it? Let me tell you something, boy. I believe myself a capable leader, humble as I may be. But times are changing. People are changings. Violence was already in the nature of those who live in this time, and those who lived in the past. Now, the violence has become a habit. It's done not only out of mere contempt, but for _fun. _Do you understand? Violence is defense, not entertainment. It is sickening." Mifune asked.

Kazuhiro was shocked, but spoke nonetheless. "Harmony can be found in many other ways. An alliance contract could very well do the same thing that you are attempting to by marrying your daughter to the Rokudaime of Konohakagure."

"You are… correct. I shall reconsider. I must talk with the Hokage then." Mifune replied somewhat uncertainly.

Mifune did not let Kazuhiro know that he had considered the alliance, but thought that the alliance would not last long enough, as opposed to breeding his kin in Konoha. He decided that his daughter deserved better than that. Haruhi knew better than her Kazu-kun himself, and a new level of respect, far past the respect she had for him as a father was reached.

"Thank you, Father."

"Nonsense. You deserve the best. It seems this man will hold you like the treasure you are. Now, I must be headed to Sunagakure to see Uzumaki Naruto."

Haruhi bowed to her father, and Kazuhiro followed suit.

"Men, let us depart." Mifune said. The men grunted and followed him.

x-x-x-x

Uzumaki Naruto was having a good day. He had gone to see Gaara, who had made time for him immediately. They talked, well, Naruto talked, and Gaara sounded his approvals, or disapprovals for that matter. It was a refreshing thing to do, just to kick back and forget the duties of a Kage.

"So, Gaara. Met any ladies?" Naruto grinned cheekily.

"Hmph. No." Frankly, Gaara on the inside was just happy that his friend was more normal than usual. His happy-go-lucky was back.

"C'mon now. You can tell me, right Gaara?" Naruto edged closer to the red-head. "It'll be our secret."

"Sadly, there is no secret to share." He said as Naruto put his arm around his shoulder. "Wretched man, release me."

"You sure now?" Naruto inquired further.

"I am sure." The Kazekage deadpanned.

"Fine." Naruto pouted a bit, which elicited a small, miniscule smirk from Gaara. "Did you just smile?" Naruto asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Perhaps so. Did you see me smile?"

Naruto laughed. The conversation lasted for another two hours, winding down and turning slightly more serious as the men talked about their lives and their liabilities and obligations as Kages.

x-x-x-x

Mitarashi Anko was having a bad day. The man she was supposed to ambush, knock out and take back to Konoha had not arrived at the rendezvous spot. She was beyond pissed. She sent a snake back to Konoha to let them know, and began phase two of the mission. Her B-rank mission just turned into an S-rank classified. Now if only she could get a meeting with the Kazekage. This classified mission could not be known virally. It was information only for the eyes of the Sabaku no Gaara.

**A/N There's another chapter. Fairly quick. This was mostly a filler chapter, because I honestly did not know what to write in order to have Haruhi and Naruto both get what they wanted. I haven't decided yet, but the conversation between Naruto and Mifune will probably be something along the lines of an alliance contract in trade of the marriage, with Narutp profusely agreeing.**

**Okay, Mr. Lame. I'll laugh with you. :)**

**See ya when I get back! -Eric**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/n I apologize for the long wait, I've been busy. I've just moved! Renovating my new house is a bitch. On another note, this chapter is completely necessary for the sake of the plot, but is generally another filler chapter. Because I decided to turn this into a multi-chap, it's been rather difficult to think of ways to put my ideas into a pleasant read. I apologize for the OC's and general OOCness; I just don't like using characters that are already there as they wouldn't normally do the things I would force them to do.**

**Chapter 5**

Anko finally made her appearance in front of the Kazekage, after intel had arrived with newer information. When she arrived however, she was shocked to see Naruto in the Kazekage's chair, his legs resting against the desk, an omnipotent look upon his face. Gaara stood nearby, showing the Rokudaime something in a scroll. Anko opened her mouth in shock, but quickly closed it.

"What news do you bring me, Mitatashi-san?" Gaara said quietly, as Naruto smirked.

Before Anko could relay the message, Naruto cut in. "What must be said has already been said. If there is any new information, then speak." A light smirk danced onto his face, expecting no reply.

Anko only kept her solemn demeanor and spoke. "A war is brewing between Kumogakure and Tetsu no Kuni, and it seems Kumo and its allies have targeted both Konoha and Suna." Anko relayed to the two Kages. An aura of seriousness enveloped the entire room as she spoke.

Naruto sighed. "I had wished I would not see another devastation as such in my life, especially not so soon after the Allied Forces." He looked over to Gaara.

"As did I. However, we must meet the requirements to keep out villages safe. What do you suggest, Naruto?" Gaara spoke.

"Well, the way I see it, we should play it as Mifune of the samurai. Neutral, until necessary. Of course, we must be ready at all times, without causing a stir amongst our people." Naruto spoke calmly.

"My thoughts exactly. You've grown from the brash boy you were before. Thinking before jumping headfirst, I see." The corners of Gaara's mouth curved upward, stopping before he fully smiled. "Nevertheless, your true and righteous heart will lead your people through. I as well, will be a true leader in times of need. For now, we prepare. I will alert the highest in ranking of my ninja, as to not cause a disturbance. We will see to it that this war will not catch us off guard." The red-headed man finished.

"As will I. I will send a message to Killer Bee, to see the situation. If there is a war, he is bound to know." Naruto said.

At this moment, Anko cut in. "Are you sure it is wise to contact them? After all, to remain neutral we have to rely that we will not have to put our hands into this war raging between the two."

"She is right, Naruto. It is your decision to make, but keep that in mind." Gaara agreed.

"I will have to see. Mitarashi-san, send the message to all the jonin and chunin to prepare for any upcoming battle as they see fit. Make sure they do not alarm any others, as this should be kept secret until absolutely necessary." Naruto concluded.

Anko winced at her given name and nodded. "Hai, hokage-sama." She affirmed. "Is there anything else?" She said stiffly.

"That is all." And with that Naruto's final words, she left in a swirl of leaves.

"When will you tell her you still love her?" Gaara inquired, nonchalantly.

"When it is right to. I received word Mifune wishes to see me, and that will be that."

"You're in deep shit." Gaara smirked.

Surprised at the word choice, Naruto could barely come up with something witty to say. "I've been through worse; after all, I fell in love with the crazy snake lady."

Kazuhiro woke up to the sound of rushing water. Groggily, he took heed of his surroundings. The brown haired male saw his arms tied to a tree that reached over the water. His feet skimmed the ripples of dark water.

"So you've awakened. I think it's time you've met your your destiny. I must thank you though, for making my job easier. You've after all just singlehandedly helped me start a war. I'll dispose of you for Mifune. Haruhi will have no choice but to her return home, to danger, if the alliance idea has been implemented irretrievably in Mifune's head. This will be the best way to begin a war of ages, more than the likes of the Great Shinobi Wars!"

Kazuhiro recognized the man as one of his previous captors, he had a specific marking on the left side of his armor, that looked like the insignia of an Oto-nin. Before he could piece two and two, a sharp stinging pain had enveloped his stomach. The samurai pulled back, splatters of blood visible in the grass. As soon as he cut the rope and let the dead man fall free into the depths of the water, a loud cry was heard from behind the clearing. The samurai turned around to face Haruhi charging towards him, her face purely of hatred.

"My father will know of this!" Haruhi cried indignantly.

"Know of what?" The samurai said before jabbing the back of his sword into her neck. He spat on the ground beside her. "If I could make it look like Raikage Ay had sent his men to kill you, you would be dead." He looked into the clearing, into nowhere. "Otogakure will get its revenge of the centuries. Because the war is long over, there is no need for testy friendships built upon lies and battle. Kumo will be ours, perhaps even Tetsu no Kuni." He laughed menacingly and hoisted the taisho's daughter over his shoulder and left for to journey back to Iwa. His infiltration was complete.

Gaara was filling out paperwork at his desk while Naruto continued to pace around his office. Anko reappeared minutes later, a grim look on her face.

"What's the news Mitarashi-san?" Naruto asked, sensing her stoic demeanor.

"The shinobi of our village has been alerted, Kakashi has made sure of that. But, word has spread that Mifune-sama's daughter has been kidnapped. It is said that it is the doing of Raikage Ay, but contradicting this, it has been said it was the doing of the Tsuchikage.

"A, the old man Tsuchikage would never order something like that. He is much more straightforward, a seasoned war general. It sounds like a conspiracy to me. B, Raikage Ay, although he may stoop low to win, he would not attack a neutral land unless he would gain something of it." Naruto replied, firmly.

"As it is, he could gain the upper hand in battle; a hostage daughter would certainly be a type of blackmail one could use." Anko cut in.

"No, I don't see it that way. It will only hurt him more than it would help him." Naruto reprimanded. At this point, Anko saw where he was standing from.

"So what will we do?" Anko asked.

Gaara looked at the two of them. "Having this conversation in the office of a rival village is highly inappropriate." He continued to work.

"We will do what must be done. As of yet, it is none of our concern. Until any of us are in danger, there is no danger. And Gaara, don't be a bastard, we are allies."

"We are allies indeed." Gaara concluded. His face scrunched up as he read the scroll, but his face reverted to its normal expressionless façade.

**A/N And that ends that. Any suggestions, feel free to PM me. **


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Hey Guys! As you all know, Christmas is long gone and New Year's looms above our heads, and I've yet to write a chapter of my mediocre story. I've had the flu for approximately a week and a half, so it's been hard to drum up a story with my incoherent thoughts. Plus my mother is quite bitter that I'd chosen to be a chef instead of "doing something productive." Sorry, ranting again. **

**This chapter is all about getting all the confusing bits of information out, as jumbled as it appears. As you can see, I'm forever busy, so I wanted to get to the NaruAnko bits quickly, therefore the war has to be wiped away as plausible as I can make it, within a few chapters.**

**Shall we continue? **

Mifune was at a loss for words. In a matter of hours, the entirety his balance in life was uplifted, turned over and destroyed. A war was looming above his nation's head and his daughter was gone, without a trace of her finally approved commoner fiancé. No doubt it was the Kumo and Iwa cretins. His daughter was not his daughter, biologically speaking, but he loved her just as much as he would if she was his. It was an emotional attack. Haruhi was the daughter of the woman Mifune had loved, and lost to an illness incurable. They knew, and they were using it against him.. His lover's daughter was being held to the will of whatever his dastardly rivals had in mind, and his emotions could not just be set aside. Even if attaining peace was well imbedded in his mind and the answer was obvious in front of him, he could not bear the guilt he would feel.

"Taisho! We have news!" A nervous samurai came rushing in, his hand habitually grasping his katana.

"Speak."

"Our networking has come back with information. It appears that Kumo is being forced into submission by the Oto nin. Furthermore, though it appeared that an Iwa shinobi had infiltrated our ranks and taken the princess, it was Otogakure attempting to wreak havoc upon the nations and gain an upperhand. Other than this, we have found our lady's friend dead upon the shore of a river not far from here. "

"This certainly changes things. Thank you, Hitari. You are dismissed."

"Hai, Taisho-sama."

Mifune looked past his retreating samurai, deep in thought. This piece of information proved quite useful. He had miscalculated a bit, because he had been missing vital information. The Oto-nin. It was them, he could feel it in his aging bones. They wanted land, money, power; they'd stop at nothing to get it. Henceforth, they had their masterminds create a plan in which they believed foolproof. Now if only he could send word to Kumo and Iwa that they had his help. After all, there was nothing Mifune wished for more than peace. He rethought his entire plan, and resettled upon something that fit the pieces of information Hitari had given him. Mifune jotted all the information he knew and his plan, and had it sent out to the Kages of Kumo and Iwa. Now he needed to contact Suna and Konoha. He knew the two Kages were in the same area, so it proved better for him. If this did not work, no doubt another giant war would erupt. The fate of the world was juggled upon the shoulders of the Kages. Otogakure had to be defeated in a way where they would not make the same mistakes twice. Mifune sighed and stood up, his hands resting on his beloved katana. He opted to go see Naruto Uzumaki and Subaku no Gaara personally.

"Gaara! Don't be a spoilsport. C'mon and let loose with me, Who knows when you'll get another free day like this? No paperwork? That's every Kage's wet dream, believe it!" Naruto pouted while trying animatedly to get Gaara to leave his forlorn office.

"Uzumaki, there is no time for that. Don't you find the events this past week suspicious at all? A war, between villages that have no ties? It seems there is a bigger plot behind all of this." The red-headed Kage replied tiredly.

"It isn't our problem, until it becomes our problem. Now c'mon and let go a little. Get the sand out of your pants and live, Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed, trying to drag the poor sand-user out of his office.

Just as Gaara was about to reply, a hawk arrived and dropped off a scroll. Gaara immediately untied and read it.

_I will be arriving shortly. We must discuss something in which I require your's and Naruto Uzumaki's help. _

_Mifune of Tetsu no Kuni_

Gaara tossed the scroll at Naruto. Naruto overlooked it and grunted. "See what you've done. We could've come to this later. Now, I've no choice but to welcome the stress with open arms. And legs."

Gaara smirked, but remained in his seat, awaiting the expected visitor. No sooner than three hours later, Mifune made his appearance.

"I apologize for the delay. I ran into… a difficulty." Mifune said solemnly.

"Tell us how we can help. We had assumed that there was foul play, but we had not expected you to personally come and seek us." Gaara spoke in a deep, hushed voice. Naruto stayed quiet by his side, only nodding in agreement and awaiting the words of his once to be father in law.

"First things first, although I'm sure Uzumaki-san is aware of it, his engagement with my daughter has been discredited, by their own will. It was fine with me, until Haruhi had been kidnapped and her common lover had disappeared, only to be found dead by a riverbed later on. This is my proposition to you, Naruto Uzumaki. Save my daughter, and restore your honor. I will void the marriage officially, even as void as it already is now."

"I would have saved her, marriage or not." Naruto said, a grim look on his face. This time around, it was Gaara who was silent, albeit deep in thought.

"I am aware." Mifune started, "However, I suppose it was the only thing I could offer you that you could possibly need. On the other hand, my true reason for coming is simple. I need you to keep your hands out of this matter. As soon as my daughter is safely hidden, you must retreat. She holds a secret I cannot bear to have plastered on my nation." He finished, barely looking his two allies in the eye.

"We can only help you so much if you choose to be dishonest." Gaara spoke up.

"It is only dishonest if I cheat you of information you deserve to know." Mifune rebuked.

"It is cheating us of knowing just exactly what we are agreeing to, even if you are only asking me to keep my hands out of your war, and your secret." Gaara calmly replied.

Mifune sighed deeply. "Haruhi holds bloodline trait of her mother's. The adversaries we face, I assume, do not know this. They are not intelligent enough to have uncovered this information. However, with her prolonged time in Otogakure, they will surely find out _something_." Mifune finished.

"Wait a minute, Oto?!" Naruto blurted out.

Mifune resisted the urge to slap his forehead. _How could I have forgotten? All this talk of saving Haruhi and her secret has befuddled my mind. _"I might as well begin chronologically. It was discovered earlier that Kumo and Iwa were under the influence of the Oto-nin. I do not know how, and I do not care. I simply must release them, and have them help me take down those disrespectful excuses for shinobis. It seems that they took my daughter as an emotional attack, hoping I would be too weak in the mind to think clearly, and I can see it is starting to truly affect me. I have also discovered that not only have they used this strategy, they have also deployed false samurai into my ranks and made it seem like Kumo and Iwa were against, when in fact Iwa had no part in this whole mess at all. As for Kumo, I would like to believe that it is another hostage situation."

"Wow." Naruto began. "And all of this for what? Money? Power? This is absolutely outrageous!" He bellowed.

"Calm down, Naruto. First, you must focus on channeling your anger into saving your ex-fiancée. Afterwards, you will back down. No questions asked." Gaara said strictly, staring down Naruto, who reluctantly shook his head in agreement.

"One thing peaks my interest, though. A Konoha shinobi reported that Kumo was targeting both Suna and Konoha. How do you explain this?" Gaara stated.

"It's simply another trick of theirs. Deploy havoc, and appear to be the only prepared army. They want chaos, so they can slip in and take over. It's a simple tatic, though brutal." Mifune replied effortlessly.

Gaara nodded his head, in a way that showed that was exactly what he had been thinking. "Your visit has been dually noted, Mifune-sama. I'm sure the Hokage-sama will save your daughter and return her to you safely. You have my word that I will leave you to your own devices."

Naruto nodded his head eagerly. "Mine as well." With that, he created a shadow clone and gave it instructions to band together the old rookie 9. Haruhi would be home before the dawn of the next day. "I'll get her back soon, Mifune-sama, believe it!"

"I believe in your abilities, Hokage-sama. I will take my leave now, Kumo needs me, and I'm sure Iwa will request some revenge upon Oto." And he turned on his heal and left, not bothering to wait for a reply. Too many words had already been traded, and Mifune was not a man of the shinobi ways.

**Rushed? Hell yeah. Jumbled and slightly confusing? Most likely. Do I regret it? Not unless you guys don't want NaruAnko to emerge quickly! **


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**I felt bad about being an ass updater, so I decided to stay up and turn down the prospect of my girlfriend for you guys... Just kidding, a guy can multi-task. Thanks for the reviews, alerts, favorites, and so on and so forth. Brace yourselves for the musings of my girlfriend. She told me the OC was absolutely necessary, and well, I believed her. It makes it less awkward.**

Anko Mitarashi could no longer keep track of her bad days. They were a part of her life now, and she couldn't do anything about it, well except rant to the person in the barstool beside her. The bars in Suna were dark, dry and full of creeps, or seasoned killers. It was just the way she liked it, though she preferred damp over dry any day. Cups were littered all over the area in which Anko sat, unnoticed by her. She continued to down cup after cup of sake. Off-duty? She didn't know the meaning of that. Every day was a mission for her, whether it was the Hokage distributed kind, or just plain living. She got through each day in hope that maybe Naruto would forgive her, but how could he? She, because of an absurd argument had gotten drunk and screwed his sensei. That was low, even for someone like her. Someone like her. She chuckled lowly. She had always wondered why he had gotten with her in the first place. Maybe it was the impending sense of loneliness, or maybe it was his unrequited love. It all came down to loneliness anyhow. Memories imploded within her brain, crashing on top of each other, tumbling off of her sorrow. She held the cup in her hand so tightly that it collapsed, and cut her hand. The sake burned, but she could barely feel it. The bartender quickly came to help her clean herself, but she shoved everything away. A medic-nin at a nearby booth saw and came over.

"Let me heal that for ya."

"Fuck off. I'm not in the mood for fuckers who think I'll owe them a little debt if they help me. I can fix it myself."

"Whoa, lady. No charge. Just let me heal that so it doesn't get infected."

Reluctantly, Anko stuck her hand out, as she began to feel the pain of the cuts. The man bathed her hand in the familiar green glow of healing essence until she was all cleaned up.

"Now you're good to go." He gave her a Cheshire grin. "May I take this seat?"

_Great. One of those dicks. _"Do whatever the hell you want."

"What's got you all worked up, lady?" The medic-nin inquired.

"None of your business." Anko snarled at the man.

"Well, I'm Hikaro, nice to meet you anyway." The man had a smile that wouldn't quit.

"Listen pal, I appreciate you healing my hand, but I'm not in the mood for conversation." Anko sighed, highly aggravated.

"You know sometimes it's good to let it all out on a stranger, relieve the stress a bit." Hikaro's smile only got wider. Anko seriously questioned his sexuality at this point.

"I'd rather not. If you're going to sit there, shut up." Anko drew the line there. Hikaro seemed to take the hint and quieted down, only piping up when he needed a refill. Soon, Anko began to get annoyed of just his presence.

_This idiot won't quit it, will he? I need to get rid of him. _While Anko was stewing in her thoughts, she did not recognize that Hikaro had been speaking.

"Boyfriends, huh? Hate to love them." He finished, his smile never wavering.

_So he IS gay. That's kind of ironic. _Unknowingly, Anko had let out a chuckle.

"Problem?" Hikaro's smile remained intact, but his left eyebrow had raised.

"No problem at all. Boyfriends indeed. Long time ex, in my case. I just can't get these silly thoughts out of my head. There is one reoccurring memory though, the most painful one, might I add." Anko didn't know what had compelled her to spill, but she did. Perhaps it was because he was gay, or maybe because he had been so persistent. She didn't know, and she didn't care anymore.

"I know what you mean. It plagues my mind every night. Sometimes I wish I had been born straight. Men suck."

"It was my fault. Men do suck though, for the things they do." Anko replied quietly.

"What exactly were you thinking about?" Hikaro asked, his interest peaked.

"Nothing. Out of sight, out of mind. Right?" Anko said, unsure herself.

"Apparently not the case for you. C'mon, just let it out. I'm not here to judge you anyway." Hikaro offered.

"Well…"

_Naruto had just left Anko's apartment, rage clearly etched in his features. He was furious. Of all the people that could have betrayed him, it had to be Iruka-sensei and Anko. He couldn't even think properly, let alone talk it out. It wasn't easy to forgive the people that you loved the most after they betrayed you so willingly. He knew they had been drunk, but it was no excuse. He should have thought of that before he decided to get shitfaced himself. 10000_ _yen later found him drunk and in the arms of some unknown woman. She was on top of him, licking and sucking any part she could reach. His moans were inaudible, but hers were not. They filled his apartment and floated right to his front door, where an awestruck Anko stood, ready to apologize. Anko heard the sound of her heart falling to the floor, crashing to pieces. She dropped to the ground and hugged her knees close to her body. Naruto was so near, yet so far. Anko sat there, listening to the sounds of skin contact and moaning, unable to tear herself away from the dreaded home. Tears pooled in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks, her face turned a bright red. Finally, she stood up and walked away, wiping her eyes. In momentary confusion and meaningless arguments, their relationship had been ruined, and if he wanted to make it worse rather than talk it out, then she had no business even trying. _

"That's rough. I mean, although it's apparent you were in the wrong first, he messed it up even more." Hikaro said, his overbearing smile finally swept away, in its place a softer, more comforting one.

"Rough is life. But, it's about that time that I leave." Anko said, slurring apparent in her speech.

"You're hella drunk. Let me take you back to wherever you're staying, uhm…"

"Anko."

"Okay, Anko-san. Let me accompany you."

"Whatever you say, Hikaro." She replied uncertainly.

They stumbled along towards the direction Anko had pointed out, in search of the inn she was residing in. Hikaro lugged Anko up the stairs of the old inn, and finally made it to her room. The man dumped her onto the bed and slumped to the ground. Not a few seconds later, Anko had straddled Hikaro.

"Wha-what are you doing, Anko-san?" Hikaro stuttered, unsure of the situation that had presented itself upon him.

"Just fuck me already." Anko hissed.

"But-" He was silenced by her lips. The vicious attack lasted five seconds before Anko stopped, leaving a breathless and bruise lipped Hikaro. A blush was evident on his face, and he was sweaty and nervous.

"Don't tell me you've never-" Anko started.

"Never with a woman." He replied sheepishly.

"What did I expect. You are gay after all." Her hands slipped down his pants. "At least we've got a semi over here. Hikaro's blushed deepened. "Don't worry, I'll show you." She whispered in his ear.

She relentlessly attacked his lips again, this time with him following along with slightly more confidence. She ripped off his shirt, and threw her own coat aside. As she worked on his body, he pulled her onto the bed. Soon enough, both were stark naked and unafraid. They were drunk enough to pass it off as the alcohol, but not enough to not know what they were doing. In that moment, it didn't seem to bother either party. They attacked each other with kisses and touches feverishly, without a damned care about anything. She grasped him and aligned them together, and he got the hint. He thrust in imprudently and roughly, reveling in the feeling of her walls clamped around his prized possession. He recklessly pleasured both her and himself, until he could no longer bear the load. When they were both finished, they collapsed onto the bed, knowing the regret they would both feel in the morning. The gay man and the broken-hearted crazy snake lady.

**Yeah, this was an Anko-centric chapter. I mean, Naruto can't always be the hurt victim. Gotta give his counterpart some hurt too.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Whoa, 3 updates in one day? Well, it was supposed to be posted earlier, but shit life, my internet decided to spit in my face. Oh, and to answer some of your questions, Naruto will find out eventually, and we'll get into that wonderful romance stuff after Naruto's saved Haruhi with the help of the rookie 9, even though we all know he could take em down himself. On another note, I kind of wished this was a NaruIno now, because that would make my life so much easier. Plus I like that pairing more. **

Naruto paced around the room, waiting for the arrival of his longtime friends. His mission to save Haruhi had to be completed flawlessly, and it didn't hurt to have extra hands helping out. The Oto-nin couldn't figure out the Konoha had a helping hand in the rescue, or trouble would brew. His thoughts were squashed when he saw the familiar faces swirl in front of him. They really could not be considered the rookie 9 anymore, seeing as they'd all grown up so fittingly. It was surprising to Naruto when he saw that all eleven members of the original team had arrived at the same time. Naruto grinned nevertheless and welcomed all of his friends and comrades. Naruto paced down the line and looked at each one of his friends, memories surfacing and filling his mind.

"It's good to see you all again. Aside from the usual mission debriefing and reporting, I haven't seen you all in so long." Naruto gushed warmly, his smile reaching his eyes.

"Are you going soft on us, baka!" Sakura said, an accusing finger pointed at him.

"Fiesty as ever I see, Sakura-chan." A wide grin adorned his face.

"Shut up, forehead! We're on a mission here." Ino shouted aloud.

"Troublesome as she may be, Ino is right. What's the big deal about this mission that required all of us to come?" Shikamaru drawled out.

"Well, you guys have already heard the Mifune's daughter has been kidnapped. We, the well-known Konoha 11, must retrieve her without fail. I don't just mean get her back safely. We have to get her back in a way where they won't know it was us who did it." Naruto explained to the group.

"This poses as a dilemma, as each of us holds an attribute in which they would be able to tell who we are upon battle." Neji said calmly.

"This means not only do we have to be disguised in the form of chakra restraints and how we appear to the naked eye, but we can't even use any form of jutsus." Shikamaru concluded.

"My thoughts exactly. We cannot simply walk in and take her out; that would not work either." Neji replied.

The rest of the rookie 9 simply looked at the two, hoping either would think of something, before a surprising voice spoke up.

"I do not see why we cannot just walk in and take her out." Lee said, determination very clear in his eyes.

TenTen raised a fist and slammed it on his head. "Baka! You can't just expect them to hand over the prisoner!" She said angrily.

"No, he's got a point, I think." Naruto replied. "Sometimes the answer is the most obvious one; so maybe we can build off of it. Make some kind of plan." He amended.

"It might just work. How troublesome." Shikamaru replied lazily, but with a tone of finality.

"Then let's put this plan into action so we can get barbecue to celebrate with after!" Chouji yelled happily.

_Some things never change. It feels just like the old days, when we were all still on our respective teams and fussing over silly things. Now Sakura-chan is a head medic-nin with the help of Ino, Shikamaru is a head strategist, Neji is a coveted clan member and an elite tracker, while all the others had made it to jounin level and had their own special places in the shinobi world. _

"Heyo Naruto. Thinking pretty hard over there!" Naruto heard the gruff voice of Kiba, and turned to see a feral grin on his face.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about how nothing really changed, but everything has changed." Naruto replied.

Everyone shifted slightly uncomfortably, but soon everyone had a small smile on their faces.

"Things change, but we'll always be friends." Sakura said quietly. Everyone nodded their heads.

"I've got it." Everyone looked up at Naruto expectantly, waiting for his plan.

He looked up all the expectant faces, and awkwardly looked around. "I just figured we could just knock out a couple of the guys from behind with some kind of poison, so they don't know who we are, and take their ninja gear. We can henge our appearances and just walk in casually. Neji and Lee can be the look out, watching out from afar, and Choji, Shika and Ino can back Sakura and I. Kiba, Hinata and Shino can be distractions that lure the guards away. We'd fill in their spot, and rescue Haruhi. Seeing as though we have to make is seem that it was not Konoha-nin, we are limited to the use of only katana and taijutsu. If things go according to plan, we'll leave with little to no battle."

"This method is nowhere near foolproof." They all stared at him. "But with all these limitations, it's the only thing we can manage." Shikamaru looked around, expecting someone to rebuttle.

When everyone remained silent, including Neji, Naruto spoke up again. "It's settled then. We depart in the next hour. We must have her back by the next dawn. Prepare and meet back on the west side of Suna."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Was the simultaneous reply.

"Are you one-hundred percent sure about this, Naruto-kun?" Saukra asked quietly.

"No." He replied solemnly and leaped towards the next tree, followed by ten other shadows. By the time they had arrived at the gates of Otogakure, Naruto was restless. He was so close to saving her, yet so far away. He didn't want to think of what would happen if his plan failed. He couldn't afford another war; his nation couldn't afford another war.

"Here's what we do. Infiltrate, form, rescue." Naruto said. "We have to scout out her location; we can't just barge in and expect to know where she is. I know from experience.' Naruto grinned slightly.

Shikamaru lifted his head and spoke. "Ino and I can do that. I'll use shadow possession jutsu to pull one of the weaker looking ninja out, and Ino can poke around in his mind. Of course, we will have to dispose of him afterwards, to avoid being found out." The entirety of the group grimaced. Even though it was a ninja's living to kill, they couldn't avoid their human emotions.

"I can remove the event from his memories to the best of my abilities." Ino said a moment after.

It was Neji's turn to speak. "That is far too risky. We cannot jeopardize this mission."

Naruto nodded. "What has to be done will be done."

Shikamaru and Ino returned an hour later, their faces grim. "She's being held in the far south of an underground hideaway. The captive stated that the door opens with the blood of a sound nin." Shikamaru told the group.

Neji activated his Byakugan and scoped the scene. "I found it, although I cannot tell where she is. I will have to come with you guys." Neji said.

"That's fine, so long as you stick with your designated teammate, Lee." Naruto replied.

Neji nodded, and Lee gave him his typical nice guy pose.

"Let's get going." They all followed after Shikamaru and Neji. A little while later, they were standing outside of a large rock. Shikamaru spoke up. "There are no guards. This is the bit that's got me. I'm sure there's a special way to get in, but as far as I can see, we won't be able to."

"Byakugan!" Neji focused his eyes on the rock. He let out a shocked gasp. "Th-there's nothing there but solid rock." All of the Konoha 11 looked at Neji.

"That's impossible! You said you saw it before!" Kiba huffed.

Neji shook his head, and refocused his eyes, this time at the entire surroundings and not just the rock. "Wait a second. I can see into it now. The path is no longer blocked; rather, I can sense the presence of chakra."

Shikamaru thought for a second and came to a conclucion. "It seems when someone enters the hideout, the entire path gets blocked by solid mass. This also means that we're on the wrong side of the entry."

"Then we'll have to make way to the other side. Time is of the essence." Naruto firmly spoke, with a leader-esque tone.

"Naruto's right. We have to get a move on." Shikamaru replied.

Neji hopped on the highest tree and scoured the area. "Found you."

The ninja took off in the direction pointed out by Neji. They finally found the correct entrance and sequenced into position. Two guards stood outside the entrance, half asleep. Sakura pulled out two vials and tossed one to Naruto. They sped up towards opposite directions and stood awaiting the moment to strike. Kiba sent Akamaru towards the two guards, hoping to take away their attention momentarily. The two guards looked at each other with confused expressions. As soon as they were turned, Naruto and Sakura struck the two syringes into their necks, a soundless, painless death. It was befitting of two sound ninja. The two Konoha shinobi took all the garments off their foes and put it on themselves, even replacing their headbands. They used the blood of one of the dead guards to open the door, as instructed by Shikamaru. With a quick nod to the rest of the team, they made their way to the inside of the cavern. Naruto and Sakura tried to be as casual as possible walking through the cave, giving a heads up whenever it was clear for Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji to pass in. The others stayed out and guarded opposite sides, with Neji and Hinata in the middle. They made it to the end of the tunnel, when they arrived in a large room. Two guards stood at either side. Naruto and Sakura stepped in and began to walk towards the next hall, until they were stopped.

"What is your business here? Doku-sama has stated that no one must enter-" He was stopped when a surge of poison claimed him. Naruto looked over to the other guard, to find him dead as well.

"Good work, Sakura-chan. Let's get her and get out of here." The two advanced to the next room and found it guarded well. Naruto signaled for the other four to back down, and entered sage mode. His attacks were quick and relentless, and the ninja were left keeling over. Naruto signaled for his backup to attack and finish them off as he went through to the room that held Haruhi. He found her tied up in a cell unconscious, and he quickly broke the cell door and cut her down. Slinging her over his shoulder, he dashed out.

"Sakura! Ino! Chouji! Shika! We need to get out of here immediately! I'm going to use hirashin to make it to the front. We'll regroup out there." They all began running for the exit. Naruto used hirashin repeatedly until the two were safely out of Otogakure. A few moments later, the entire group was out of there in one piece.

"We're almost good. Neji, Lee, Sakura escort the princess back to The Land of Iron. The rest of you are to return to Konoha. I have business to attend to with the Kazekage. Shika, come with me. Chouji, I promise you that when we are all together in Konoha again, we'll have a huge barbecue feast, my treat." Naruto said, with a wide grin.

"That's great! I can't wait." Chouji said, a huge smile on his face. The rest of the ninja laughed and then gave a quick nod to Naruto, who gave them a thumbs up. They all went in their respective directions.

Things were looking up for Naruto. He shamelessly chuckled to himself, earning a look from Shikamaru.

"What? I'm going to finally accept that not every relationship is perfect, and get Anko back." Naruto replied cheekily.

"You both should just steer clear of alcohol." Shikamaru said with a small grin.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N This story wasn't actiony for a reason, so without further ado, I present to you the beginnings of the romance trial. Oh, and I don't really care if these types of situations (any so far) could or couldn't happen, 'cause it's fiction. Get over it, guys.**

**Chapter 9**

One day. It had only been one day since she'd fucking came back from Suna and there he was, everywhere. She didn't even know why he was here. He should've still been in Suna, by her calculations. After her abrupt dispatch, she had come back only to see him trudge back with the rest of his friends a little later. They were all grown up and no longer rookies, yet she still considered them a cute bunch of kids finding a way of life in the world of shinobi. She had spent her trip back trying _not _to think of the blonde Hokage, but to no avail. With her great luck, of course she had to see him and his large group of subordinates enter the ever-famous BBQ House. She pushed the jealousy she was feeling down and bit the inside of her mouth. She shouldn't be jealous anyway. She and Naruto were over long ago.

She watched the group walk in and decided it was a good a time as any to get some dango. She thought for a second about going for a bit – a lot, actually, of sake, but she used her better judgment and opted for the former. The latter would just be too much, after the incident that had happened not too long ago. She really was a whore. She had gone as far as to fuck a helpless gay man. She sighed deeply and rambled on to the dango shop, until she felt someone grab her arm and pull her into the alleyway. She was about to shoot an armful of snakes into his face, but he spoke out.

"Mitarashi-san, please wait," Said the loud, yet calm voice. "I just wanted to tell you something." He spoke quieter this time.

Anko took a closer and recognized him as Towa, a retired ANBU and someone Naruto kept frequent contact with. She retreated, and shoved her hands in her trench coat. Towa took that as a sign to go on, so he spoke.

"It is not of my business to speak of this matter, but I understand that Naruto-sama and yourself are quite hurt. I only wish to tell you that Haruhi-sama and Mifune-sama no longer hold regard to any relationship that you may or may not want to pursue with our Hokage. Infact, the reason he came to Suna was to – " He was cut off abruptly by a loud noise coming from the direction of the BBQ House. Both Anko and Towa sprinted out to see what had happened. There stood a drunken Rock Lee, hell-bent on fighting anything and everything. The entire front of the restaurant was smashed to bits, and his friends did everything they could to stop his rampage with hurting him, though it was apparent he didn't feel the same way. Finally, Sakura plunged a paralysis treatment into his neck and let him drop to the floor. Naruto paid the rather impressive bill and the group retreated, their trouble-making friend in tow. Anko looked towards Towa, but he was no longer where she had left him. She sighed deeply once more. What had he said? There was no more relationship between him and that girl. She let the barest of smiles grace her face. Then she realized something. Towa had said something about a reason for Naruto's appearance in Suna. Could it have been her? It couldn't have been. She sighed for the umpteenth time in the past hour and stalked off towards the dango shop. She was still hungry anyway. Dango was sort of like her vice. It was a better one than sex or alcohol anyhow. Dango and then a hot shower sounded great.

Naruto was tired. He had a raging headache, and old Baa-chan was screaming his ear off for the chaos that had come about. It wasn't like it was his fault to begin with. Kiba just had to be an asshole and give Lee the damn sake. He was going to chew Kiba's head off later, that was for sure. Chouji was mad that he barely got to eat, and the rest of his friends were probably mad for the headaches as well. Throughout the entire ordeal, Naruto had sworn he saw Towa and Anko, but waved it off. He had to deal with his political situations before he could begin to court her again. He didn't even know if she wanted him back. He sighed loudly. His office was a mess, there were instant ramen noodle cups littered all over the floors, and papers were piled high on his desk. He did not enjoy this part of being Hokage, particularly. He quickly formed the hand signs that would create his replacement and walked out victoriously. He was taking a day off, a well-deserved one. Well, not really, but he was the Hokage, and as long as he was getting his together and paperwork done, he could choose to lay off for a day.

Naruto strolled out of the building swelling with pride that he had the power to create bunshins to get his work done for him. It wasn't until two seconds later when he was deflated. He received a swift thump on the head from Sakura, whom yelled at him at a fast paced rate.

"What are you doing, baka?! Leaving clones around to do work for you! You should be more responsible! What it they needed you for something? Or more papers to sign?" She kept talking, but he wasn't listening. Clones solved every issue, save for an urgent meeting. He could even have the clones listen to the mission reports for him! It would just all go to his thoughts later on.

"Naruto, are you even listening to me?!" Naruto only held her shoulders and looked at her.

"I've got it covered, Sakura-chan. No worries. I'm your always reliable baka, okay?" He smiled and winked, leaving her speechless and in awe. She recovered a few moments later and decided to let him have his rest for today. She would be able to talk to him later.

Naruto was feeling strangely uplifted for a broken hearted guy. He grinned and waved at everyone he saw, and kindly helped out any civilians who needed assistance. Soon he sped up his pace and began jumping from roof to roof. He decided today would be a good a day as any, and made his way towards Anko's apartment complex. Even if he had to get her attention all over again, he still decided it would be best to talk things over with her first, before doing anything rash. He was not expecting the conversation that came out of his surprise advent.

When he arrived at Anko's complex, he was could feel nervousness enveloping his form. He was sweating bullets, but finally he knocked on her door and awaited a response.

"Who is it?" A gruff voice called out. Naruto did not answer. He knocked again.

"Who is it?" Anko's voice grew louder. Naruto again, only knocked.

Finally, she blew. "Who the fuck is knocking on my door?" Then Naruto heard her footsteps, and finally a hand on the latch. He saw the door swing open to reveal a disheveled Anko, scantily clad in a robe and undergarments. Naruto was red to his ears, yet Anko simply stared at him in shock, wondering what he was doing at her apartment.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Anko questioned.

The blonde Hokage regained his composure. "I think that we need to talk. I have some things I have to say."

She stepped aside and let him in. "Have at it." She tied her robe tighter against her and watched him as he walked in. The shower would have to wait.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N Holy updates. 2 for 1**

**A/N UPDATE: Sorry to the new readers about this, I don't know what happened to the file, as I posted this ONE YEAR ago. So Mr. Colossal Fuckup, it wasn't my fault. Quit being a dick. If you had let me know nicely I would have done this much faster. **  
>Chapter 10<br>Naruto sat down on the couch that was closest to the door, throwing any manners he had had prior to his visit to Anko down the drain. She looked at him expectantly, but he said nothing as he twiddled with his thumbs. She sat down across from him and crossed her legs. 

"So…" She started. "What's up?" She tried her best to keep her calm, but it was too damn excruciating to wait for what was on his mind. 

"I just… Okay. It's a damn lot harder to say it out straight up, because I clearly thought I had it all planned out, but I really don't and this is so sudden, so what I'm trying to say is I'mstillinloveyou." Naruto scrambled to get all the words out Anko barely picked up what he said, but she could tell he was being extremely panicky. 

"It's okay, go slow. I'm listening." She looked him in the eyes, trying to read his cerulean blue eyes, but always coming up short.  
>"Anko…I-" A loud bang was heard in the kitchen. "What was that?" He looked at her, worried. <p>

"I don't know. Let me go see." Anko walked into the kitchen to find a mess of containers and dango all over the ground. 'God damn it all. I knew I should've put that shit away before going to open the door." Her containers of joy had toppled over her kitchen counter and made new home on her clean floors. She sighed and went back towards Naruto, only to bump right into his chest. "He's gotten so tall. And firm." She muttered under hear breath. 

"What'dya say?" Naruto asked, genuinely confused. 

"Nothing. Sorry, about this. We can keep talking, I'll clean later." She mumbled. 

"No, of course not. I'll help you. Don't worry, Anko-chan." He smiled brightly, but she simply shrunk back. Falling out of love with this man was helpless. Albeit clueless, Naruto was the epitome of the perfect man. As perfect as a shinobi could get, anyhow. He was in a position of power, yet he was kind and endearing. He was handsome and fit, yet he didn't use it to his advantage. He was an all-around good man.  
>"Thank you, Naruto…kun." She whispered. <p>

He smiled back, and went towards the floor. He began picking up the pieces of dango and putting them into the containers, as Anko opted to do the same. They were done in a matter of minutes, and as Naruto went to take out the trash, Anko washed the floor. It really felt like they were a couple again, even if it was a mundane task like cleaning. She decided she was going to fight for his love, mistakes and all. She knew her one mistake had become many, but she hoped he would not be so mad as to never look her way again. It wasn't as if they had still been dating, during the time of her relapse into her old ways. She loved him so much that it was perplexing even to her, but in the end, she would make it worth it. She had finished by the time Naruto hopped back into the apartment from the balcony.  
>This time around, Naruto wasted no time. "Okay, here it is, flat out on the table. I'm still in love with you, and I'm willing to make any and all ends meet so that I can just have you again. Just to hold you, tease you, spar with you… just to love you." He stopped, out of breath. <p>

To say the confession shocked Anko would be an understatement. It was something she hadn't expected, and she wasn't prepared for it. So she cried. One of the toughest, craziest women in Konoha just sat there and cried. She cried like all the gods in the world were playing a sick joke on her, and she cried while Naruto held her. She just couldn't fucking believe it. If she had known. If only she had known earlier, things would have been simpler, a lot more hurt could have been avoided. Granted, they both would have still been in a shitload of pain; at the very least they'd be in pain together. That's what made all the difference. Being in pain together was so much different than hurting alone; it was so much better. While she was debating with herself, stuck in her inner turmoil, Naruto was sitting there anxiously awaiting her reply, holding her all the while. 

"Uhm… Anko? Did I say too much?" Naruto asked worried. 

"No. I want you to know that I love you too. But there's something else you have to understand." He nodded his head for her to continue. "While we were apart, I… in love with you as I was, screwed around. For fuck's sake I even screwed a gay man while we were in Suna! I… fucking. Fuck. I screwed up okay? Everything I did was wrong. Mistake after mistake, it just blew out of proportion. I shouldn't have gone to that bar after we fought, and I shouldn't have fucked Iruka. It's all my fault and damn it, I'm sorry! I loved you! I still love you! I'm so wrong for you, and it's just no good. We're no good, but fuck do I want you back." She was hysterical at this point, tears burning her eyes. She had been strong for too long. 

"Anko. Calm down. I know, I understand, it's okay. Don't cry. Please, don't cry. Enough tears have been shed, alright? We both made shitty mistakes, and that's why we still deserve each other. Granted, it was unbelievably painful, but it's okay now. We'll be fine. I'm not mad at you for what happened in Suna, because I don't have the right to be. We weren't even together. It stings, sure, but that was a mistake, those situations were all mistakes. Even me banging some random geisha in a fit of rage was a mistake. I love you, and that's what counts. I'll bite my tongue when it comes to everything else." 

When Anko looked up, she saw that Naruto's eyes were weary. He looked old, defined, and too mature for her liking. He was looking too mature for his age. Then and there, she knew it was wrong. It was wrong to put him through this, even with all their time apart. She couldn't bear to be with him until she deemed herself well enough in morals to date him again. So she kissed him. She mustered up every ounce of love in her body and they kissed ferociously. She as biting his lips and her hands were wandering all over his chest, while he couldn't keep his hands off of her ass. She pulled apart when he began pulling apart her robe. 

"Not now. We can't. This is too much, all of these confessions. All of this shit is going to come back and bite us in the ass. Give me some time, give us some time. One of these days, we'll be okay again, and we won't have to bite back anything. It'll just be us in love." 

There were tears. Not much, but the tears were visible. 

Droplets fell into laps. 

Cry. 

Why do people cry? 

Naruto didn't understand anymore. He was willing to bite down his angers and qualms, but she was not willing to be with him. 

It was later that night when Naruto laid alone on his bed when he finally understood.  
>She did it for him.<p> 


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N Long time no see guys! Originally this was supposed to be for a one shot in my "Opposites Attract" series, but it fit well here, and you'll see why when I find the time to plan the next chapter out. Call me a cowardly writer or whatever – but I'm going to completely erase the conflict without so much as a word to how it happened. Unfair, I know – but I really have no ideas. If you do have an idea of what I can write to resolve their tensions, then leave it in the reviews or private message me and I'll try to write it out.**

Her face was bathed in sunlight, the first rays of light beginning to seep through the window, the glass reflecting their image. Under the soft, glistening light her face looked incomparable – she was a work of art and he was unworthy of her. His larger hand rested against her stomach as he drew small circles on it. Even in the warmth of the morning light, they were still cold; he instinctively wrapped his arms around her. He held her closer and decided that even for the split moment of indecision, it was completely worth it.

Why was he holding her so close? The truth of the matter was, he just wanted her sleeping there with him. He just wanted to wrap his arms around her body and keep her safe, he wanted to protect her. She was beautiful when she slept. Her face was no longer tense; it no longer showed signs of her worrying about things beyond her control. Her face was utterly relaxed, and that in itself was beauty. As selfish as it was, he wanted to hope and wish that he would be the only one that would ever see her like this again.

He mused quietly to himself. Did she ever make love with others the way they did? Did she call out their names like a plea to the heavens, begging for release? Did she rest upon their chests and listen to the soft thumps of their heart the way she did his? He wondered if they kissed affectionately and she told them she loved them. He smiled softly when she shifted in his arms. She was awake.

She turned and looked at him expectantly as his hand crawled up from its resting place, landing on her breast, his lips promptly placing themselves atop her other. She bit her lips as she felt her nipples harden, and she could feel his lips curl upwards into a smirk. His hot mouth enveloped her hardened nipple and she gasped sharply as his teeth grazed her. He removed his mouth and placed them on hers, kissing her deeply as his hand trailed down to her drenching wet pussy. His thumb flicked her clit and rubbed circles around her already swollen bundle of nerves. He trailed his lips down from hers and kissed her neck, gently biting and nipping her as he went further down. He pushed his tongue onto her clit, smoothly licking and sucking on it, as his hand continued its ministrations. She squirmed beneath his touch as he inserted two fingers inside of her, senselessly slamming them in and out as he played with her clit in his mouth. Altogether, he stopped. Rolling on top of her, he pulled her hips towards his and began rubbing his tip against her, moaning at the moisture. She groaned when he suddenly lifted her up and began rubbing his stick cock against her dripping entrance. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him, forcing his thrusts to a halt. He gently placed her down and aligned himself with her, probing at her until she mewled in annoyance. In one swift thrust, he pushed in and began pounding her tight pussy in long, rough strokes. She pushed him off and straddled his hips, roughly planting herself on his cock. Flustered, he held onto her hips as she bounced on top of him, panting and moaning. He threw his head back and surrendered to his urges, pushing her back onto the bed, he dominated her with fast, sharp strokes. Succumbing to the desire, he pulled out and came all over her body. Thick emissions and spurts of his white cum covered her stomach and chest, enveloping her in a different kind of warmth than earlier that morning.

He didn't know how they ended up like this; the purple haired woman had clearly decided she wanted them to be apart for the time being. His head rested against her chest, listening to the soft thumps of her heart as it evened with his. Her chest rose to the rhythm. Like before, he got up quietly and began to dress as she stared at his back. He froze when he heard the soft, but firm voice.

"Stay." She got up and embraced his waist. "Stay here. It's okay now. Stay here."

He turned around and held her, a knowing look glimmering in his cerulean eyes. "I know it's okay. I'll be back."

"Promise?"

"Promise."


End file.
